Paris Olympics, Day 2 Semifinals: Aussie Showdown Set Between Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan in 200 Freestyle

Paris Olympics, Day 2 Semifinals: Aussie Showdown Set Between Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan in 200 Freestyle

An Australian showdown has materialized – as expected – in the women’s 200-meter freestyle at the Olympic Games in Paris. One month after Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan both went under the world record at the Aussie Trials in Brisbane, the women will duel for the Olympic crown on Monday night at La Defense Arena.

Racing in the second of the two semifinals, Titmus and O’Callaghan logged the only sub-1:55 performances of the evening, with Titmus narrowly earning the top seed with a time of 1:54.64. O’Callaghan followed in 1:54.70. Their battle for Olympic gold will come several weeks after Titmus set a world record of 1:52.23, an effort that was needed at Trials to fend off O’Callaghan and her swim of 1:52.48.

Anything short of a gold-silver finish for Titmus and O’Callaghan would be shocking, given their gap over the rest of the world. No one else in the field has been quicker than 1:53-high for a career best, so it would take a career-defining effort to unseat one of the Aussies, or an unforeseen slip-up.

“Pretty good. I came out really well, which was nice,” Titmus said. “I just tried to stay as relaxed as possible. I think once you get into the meet and you get the ball rolling, you kind of start to calm down a little bit and start to feel the momentum a little bit. I got the job done tonight, and it sets me up for tomorrow.”

Titmus and O’Callaghan have already won gold in Paris. While Titmus defended her Olympic title in the 400 freestyle, O’Callaghan handled the leadoff leg on Australia’s 400 freestyle relay that captured gold for the fourth consecutive Games.

American Claire Weinstein notched the third-fastest swim of the semifinals, as her 1:55.24 was ahead of the 1:55.51 of Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, who has been 1:53.92 for her career.

“I knew the second heat was going to be really fast,” Weinstein said. “There was a lot of fast people in the second heat. I just knew if I did my best and was top two in the first heat, I’d have a really good chance of getting to the final. That’s what I tried to do.”

Also going under 1:56 was China’s Yang Junxuan, who touched in 1:55.90. The field for the final was rounded out by the Czech Republic’s Barbora Seemanova (1:56.06), New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather (1:56.31) and Canadian Mary-Sophie Harvey (1:56.37). American Erin Gemmell just missed the final, placing ninth in 1:56.46.

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